Federal Student Aid Data at Risk

This was written by Michael Cheek on Thursday, October 22, 2009, 9:08.

According to a redacted report recently released by the Inspector General, Federal Student Aid, a section of the Department of Education, has placed applicant’s personal data at risk. The reported highlighted eight poor security practices at Federal Student Aid.

The report did not highlight any specific instances of data being breached. Instead, it highlighted the poor security protocols currently employed. Federal Student Aid manages approximately $69 billion and stores personal information on student’s that apply for financial aid. The report said that Federal Student Aid was particularly poor at accreditation and certification for their student aid systems. The report called for the security flaws to be fixed immediately to keep the data secure.